Mapping Initial Encounters

Theme 2

Initial encounters occurred over three centuries and a vast
geographic region.

More and more Europeans and Africans came to North America beginning in the
sixteenth century. Africans—sometimes free, but often enslaved—continued to form
a significant minority of many exploration parties. Portugal, France, England, and the
Netherlands joined Spain in the western hemisphere.

The indigenous tribes that these Europeans encountered were extremely diverse. Most
were hunters and gatherers, but some practiced intensive agriculture. Some traded
extensively, while others were more isolated.

Father Jacques Marquette, "Unfinished Journal Addressed to the Reverend Father Claude Dablon, Superior of the Missions," In The Jesuit Relations and Allied Documents. Edited by Reuben Gold Thwaites. Originally published 1675. (New York:Pagent). www.archive.org/details/jesuits42jesuuoft.